CN111434136A - wireless communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

A wireless communication device is provided with: a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a connection destination; a wired communication unit that performs wired communication with a connection destination via the interface unit; a connection determination unit that performs connection determination for determining whether or not the interface unit of the wired communication unit and the connection destination are connected; and an operation mode setting unit that switches and sets the operation mode between the master mode and the relay mode according to a result of the connection determination by the connection determination unit, wherein the operation mode setting unit sets the operation mode to the master mode when the connection determination unit determines that the interface unit and the connection destination are connected, and sets the operation mode to the relay mode when the connection determination unit determines that the interface unit and the connection destination are not connected.

Description

wireless communication device

technical field

The present invention relates to a wireless communication device having a configuration capable of switching an operation mode between a master mode and a repeater mode.

Background technique

In a general wireless LAN (Local Area Network) system, a wireless LAN access point (hereinafter simply referred to as an access point) is sometimes installed. A repeater mode in which a repeater that relays wireless LAN communication between slaves functions as an operation mode. Such an access point is configured to be able to switch the operation mode between the master mode and the repeater mode by a physical or software mode switch, and function as a master or repeater (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-157882

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-150509

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problem to be solved by the invention

Here, when an access point is installed in an environment using a wireless LAN system, conventionally, an access point installation operator has to manually set the operation mode of the access point to the master mode or the repeater mode. Therefore, the installation operator may make a mistake in setting the operation mode of the access point. Such a setting error includes, for example, an error in which the operation mode of the access point should be set to the master mode but is mistakenly set to the repeater mode, and the operation mode of the access point is forgotten to be changed from the master mode. Error in setting change to repeater mode, etc.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to obtain a wireless communication device capable of automatically setting an operation mode appropriately according to an installation situation.

means of solving problems

The wireless communication device in the present invention includes: a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a connection destination; a wired communication unit that performs wired communication with the connection destination via an interface unit; and a connection determination unit that determines whether the wired communication unit a connection determination of whether or not the interface unit and the connection destination are connected; and an operation mode setting unit that switches the operation mode to the master mode and the repeater mode according to the result of the connection determination performed by the connection determination unit, and when the connection is made When it is determined that the interface unit and the connection destination are connected in the judgment, the operation mode setting unit sets the operation mode to the master mode, and when it is determined that the interface unit and the connection destination are not connected in the connection determination, the operation mode is set. The setting unit sets the operation mode to the repeater mode.

Invention effect

According to the present invention, a wireless communication device capable of automatically setting an operation mode appropriately according to an installation situation can be obtained.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a wireless LAN system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication apparatus in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

3 is a table showing an example of a condition definition table stored in the wireless communication device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

4 is a table showing an example of an operation mode determination table stored in the wireless communication device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

5 is a configuration diagram showing a situation in which the operation modes of both the two wireless communication apparatuses in the wireless LAN system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention are not set to the mode.

6 is a flowchart showing a series of operations for connection determination performed by the connection determination unit of the wireless communication device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a table showing an example of a condition definition table stored in the wireless communication device connected to the connection destination of FIG. 5 .

FIG. 8 is a table showing an example of a condition definition table stored in the wireless communication device not connected to the connection destination of FIG. 5 .

9 is a flowchart showing a series of operations for operation mode setting performed by an operation mode setting unit of the wireless communication device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, the wireless communication apparatus of the present invention will be described according to preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In addition, in description of drawings, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the same part or a corresponding part, and the repeated description is abbreviate|omitted.

Embodiment 1

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a wireless LAN system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The wireless LAN system in the first embodiment is configured to include two wireless communication apparatuses 1 and slave devices 2 .

In addition, in FIG. 1, in order to distinguish two wireless communication apparatuses 1, one wireless communication apparatus 1 is represented as wireless communication apparatus 1 (A), and the other wireless communication apparatus 1 is represented as wireless communication apparatus 1 (B) . In addition, FIG. 1 illustrates the case where the operation mode of the wireless communication device 1 (A) is set to the master mode and the operation mode of the wireless communication device 1 (B) is set to the repeater mode.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a wireless communication device 1 (A) functioning as a master unit and a wireless communication device 1 (B) functioning as a relay unit are wirelessly connected, and the wireless communication device 1 (B) and the slave unit 2 are connected wirelessly. wireless connection.

In this case, the slave 2 can perform wireless communication with the wireless communication device 1 (A) via the wireless communication device 1 (B) without entering the communication area of the wireless communication device 1 (A). Depending on the position of the slave device 2, the connection destination of the slave device is switched from the wireless communication device 1 (B) to the wireless communication device 1 (A), and the wireless communication device 1 (A) and the slave device 2 are also connected wirelessly in some cases.

The wireless communication device 1 (A) is connected to the device X and the device Y, respectively, via a LAN interface to be described later. For example, when the above-described wireless LAN system is applied to a system for elevator maintenance, a communication device, a display device, and the like are connected to the LAN interface of the wireless communication device 1 (A) functioning as a master. Furthermore, the wireless communication device 1 (A) is connected to a higher-level network such as the Internet via a WAN (WideArea Network) interface to be described later. On the other hand, the wireless communication device 1 (B) is not connected to the connection destination via the LAN interface and the WAN interface, respectively.

In this way, a device and a higher-level network are connected to the LAN interface and the WAN interface of the wireless communication device 1 (A) functioning as a parent machine, respectively. On the other hand, the LAN interface and the WAN interface of the wireless communication device 1 (B) functioning as a repeater are not connected at all.

Next, the configuration of the wireless communication apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the radio communication apparatus 1 in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The wireless communication device 1 includes, for example, a microcomputer that performs arithmetic processing, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores data such as program data and fixed value data, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that updates and sequentially rewrites the stored data. : random access memory) and communication machines.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the wireless communication device 1 according to the first embodiment includes a wireless communication unit 11 , a wired communication unit 12 , a storage unit (not shown) that stores a condition definition table 13 and an operation mode determination table 14 , and a connection determination unit 15 and an operation mode setting unit 16 .

The wireless communication unit 11 performs wireless communication with the connection destination. The wired communication unit 12 has an interface unit for communicating with the connection destination, and performs wired communication with the connection destination via the interface unit.

The interface unit of the wired communication unit 12 includes a LAN interface mainly used for communication connection with peripheral devices and the like, and a WAN interface mainly used for communication connection with an upper network such as the Internet.

In addition, in Embodiment 1, the case where an interface part is comprised so that a LAN interface and a WAN interface may be included was illustrated, but it is not limited to this. That is, the interface unit may be configured to include at least one of the LAN interface and the WAN interface, and may be configured arbitrarily.

The storage unit stores the condition definition table 13 and the operation mode determination table 14 . Here, an example of the condition definition table 13 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 is a table showing an example of the condition definition table 13 stored in the wireless communication device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

"#" shown in FIG. 3 represents information of identification conditions, and here, a case where three conditions "1" to "3" are registered is exemplified.

The “target interface” shown in FIG. 3 indicates the interface to be determined in the interface unit, and the “LAN interface” or the “WAN interface” is registered for each condition.

The "state" shown in FIG. 3 represents the connection state between the corresponding object interface and the connection destination, and "link up", "link down" or "IP" is registered for each condition.

"Link up" indicates a state in which the corresponding object interface is connected to the connection destination. "Link down" indicates a state in which the corresponding object interface is not connected to the connection destination. "IP" indicates a state in which the corresponding object interface is connected to a device having a specified IP (Internet Protocol) address.

The "result" shown in FIG. 3 indicates whether the corresponding condition is satisfied or not, and "established" or "not established" is recorded for each condition.

As a specific example, in Condition 1, "WAN interface" is registered as the target interface, and "link up" is registered as the connection state. In this case, the condition 1 is satisfied when the WAN interface of the wired communication unit 12 is connected to the connection destination, and the condition 1 is not satisfied when the WAN interface is not connected to the connection destination.

Further, in Condition 2, "LAN interface" is registered as the target interface, and "IP" is registered as the connection state. In this case, when the LAN interface of the wired communication unit 12 is connected to a device having a specified IP address (here, "192.0.2.100" as illustrated in FIG. 3 ), the condition 2 is satisfied, and the LAN interface is not connected to the device. When connecting, condition 2 does not hold.

Furthermore, in Condition 3, "LAN interface" is registered as the target interface, and "link down" is registered as the connection state. In this case, the condition 3 is satisfied when the LAN interface of the wired communication unit 12 is not connected to the connection destination, and the condition 3 is not satisfied when the LAN interface is connected to the connection destination.

In addition, immediately after the radio communication apparatus 1 is activated, as shown in FIG. 3 , the “results” corresponding to all the conditions registered in the condition definition table 13 are “not established”.

In this way, the condition definition table 13 defines the object interface and the object interface included in the interface unit in association with the connection state of the connection destination for each condition.

Next, an example of the operation mode determination table 14 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 . FIG. 4 is a table showing an example of the operation mode determination table 14 stored in the wireless communication device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

The “operation mode” shown in FIG. 4 represents the operation mode of the wireless communication device 1 , and the “main unit mode” or the “relay unit mode” is registered.

The "logical expression" shown in FIG. 4 represents a condition that needs to be satisfied among all the conditions defined in the condition definition table 13, and as the logical expression corresponding to the master mode, "1 or 2" indicating that the condition is condition 1 or condition 2 is registered ”, and “3” indicating that this condition is condition 3 is registered as a logical expression corresponding to the repeater mode.

In this case, in the condition definition table 13, when the "result" of condition 1 or the "result" of condition 2 is "established", the logical expression corresponding to the master mode is true, and the "result" of condition 1 and the condition When the "results" of 2 are both "not established", the logical expression is false. When the logical expression corresponding to the master machine mode is true, the operation mode is set to the master machine mode.

In addition, in the condition definition table 13, when the "result" of the condition 3 is "established", the logic expression corresponding to the slave mode is true, and when the "result" of the condition 3 is "not established", the logic expression is: pseudo. When the logical expression corresponding to the slave mode is true, the operation mode is set to the slave mode.

In this way, the operation pattern determination table 14 defines the operation pattern in association with the logical expression that defines the conditions to be satisfied in the condition definition table 13 .

Returning to the description of FIG. 2 , the connection determination unit 15 performs connection determination for determining whether or not the interface unit of the wired communication unit 12 and the connection destination are connected. Specifically, the connection determination unit 15 checks the connection state between the target interface included in the interface unit and the connection destination in connection determination, thereby determining whether the interface unit and the connection destination are connected.

More specifically, in connection determination, the connection determination unit 15 examines the connection state between the target interface and the connection destination for each condition in the condition definition table 13, and thereby determines whether all the conditions are satisfied or not. In addition, the specific method of investigating the connection state between the target interface and the connection destination will be described later.

The operation mode setting unit 16 switches the operation mode to the master mode and the repeater mode according to the result of the connection determination by the connection determination unit 15 . In other words, the operation mode setting unit 16 sets the operation mode to the master mode when it is determined in the connection determination that the interface unit and the connection destination are connected. In addition, the operation mode setting unit 16 sets the operation mode to the repeater mode when it is determined in the connection determination that the interface unit and the connection destination are not connected.

Next, a series of operations of the wireless communication device 1 when the operation mode of the wireless communication device 1 is set from the mode unset state to the master mode or the repeater mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9 . FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a situation in which the operation modes of both the two wireless communication apparatuses 1 in the wireless LAN system according to the first embodiment of the present invention are not set to the mode. In addition, in the situation shown in FIG. 5, the condition definition table 13 shown in FIG. 3 and the condition definition table 13 shown in FIG. Operation mode determination table 14.

In FIG. 5, the wireless communication device 1(A) is not activated, and the operation mode is not set. In this case, the wireless LAN function of the wireless communication device 1(A) is disabled. Furthermore, the wireless communication apparatus 1(A) is in a state in which it has been connected to the device X and the device Y, respectively, via the LAN interface, and has been connected to the upper network via the WAN interface.

Like the wireless communication device 1 (A), the wireless communication device 1 (B) is not activated, and the operation mode is not set. In this case, the wireless LAN function of the wireless communication device 1 (B) is disabled. Furthermore, the wireless communication device 1 (B) is in a state where it is not connected to the connection destination through either the LAN interface or the WAN interface.

In the above-mentioned situation, the wireless communication device 1(A) and the wireless communication device 1(B) are respectively activated, and after activation, the operation mode is set from a state in which the mode is not set to the master mode or the repeater mode. After the wireless communication device 1 (A) and the wireless communication device 1 (B) perform such settings, the operation of setting the operation mode is periodically executed according to the connection state between the interface unit and the connection destination. Thereby, the wireless communication device 1 can set an appropriate operation mode according to the latest connection state.

Next, the above-described operation of the wireless communication apparatus 1 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9 .

First, the connection determination performed by the connection determination unit 15 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 . 6 is a flowchart showing a series of operations for connection determination performed by the connection determination unit 15 of the wireless communication device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

In step S101, the connection determination unit 15 acquires one condition that has not been investigated from the condition definition table 13, and the process proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, it is determined whether or not the "state" of the condition acquired in step S101 is "IP".

When it is determined in step S102 that the "state" is "IP", the process proceeds to step S103, and when it is determined that the "state" is not "IP", the process proceeds to step S107.

In step S103, the connection determination unit 15 transmits a ping (ICMPecho request) to the designated IP address via the wired communication unit 12 to check the connection status between the LAN interface corresponding to the target interface and the connection destination, and the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S104, the connection determination unit 15 determines whether or not a response (ICMP echo reply) has been returned within a predetermined time with respect to the ping transmitted in step S103.

When it is determined in step S104 that a response has been returned, the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S105, the connection determination unit 15 sets "result" of the condition acquired in step S101 to "established", and the process proceeds to step S109.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S104 that no response has been returned, the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S106, the connection determination unit 15 sets the "result" of the condition acquired in step S101 to "not established", and the process proceeds to step S109.

In this way, the connection determination unit 15 examines the connection state between the LAN interface to be determined and the connection destination. Specifically, when a ping is sent to the designated IP address and a response is returned to the ping, the connection determination unit 15 determines that the LAN interface is connected to the device having the IP address. In addition, the connection determination unit 15 determines that the LAN interface is not connected to the device having the IP address when a ping is sent to the designated IP address and no response is returned to the ping.

In step S107, the connection determination unit 15 checks whether the "target interface" of the condition acquired in step S101 is a link up or a link as a check of the connection state between the LAN interface or the WAN interface corresponding to the target interface and the connection destination. The circuit is disconnected, and the process proceeds to step S108.

In step S108, the connection determination unit 15 determines whether or not the link status of the "target interface" checked in step S107 and the "status" of the condition acquired in step S101 match.

When it is determined in step S108 that the investigated link state matches the "state" of the condition, the process proceeds to step S105. In this case, in step S105, the connection determination unit 15 sets "result" of the condition acquired in step S101 to "established", and the process proceeds to step S109.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S108 that the investigated link state does not match the "state" of the condition, the process proceeds to step S106. In this case, in step S106, the connection determination unit 15 sets the "result" of the condition acquired in step S101 to "not established", and the process proceeds to step S109.

In this way, the connection determination unit 15 examines the connection state between the LAN interface or the WAN interface to be determined and the connection destination. Specifically, the connection determination unit 15 checks whether the link of the LAN interface or the WAN interface is up or the link is down.

In step S109, the connection determination unit 15 determines whether or not the investigation of all the conditions in the condition definition table 13 has been completed.

When it is determined in step S109 that the investigation of all the conditions has been completed, the process ends.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S109 that the investigation of all conditions has not been completed, the process returns to step S101, and the process from step S101 is performed again for the uninvestigated conditions in the condition definition table.

In this way, the connection determination unit 15 executes a series of processing shown in FIG. 6 for all the conditions of the condition definition table 13, thereby obtaining a result of whether each condition of the condition definition table 13 is satisfied or not satisfied.

Here, as a specific example, in the situation shown in FIG. 5 , consider the case where the connection determination units 15 of the wireless communication device 1 (A) and the wireless communication device 1 (B) execute a series of processes shown in FIG. 6 , and refer to 7 and 8 illustrate the operation of the wireless communication apparatus 1 .

FIG. 7 is a table showing an example of the condition definition table 13 stored in the wireless communication device 1 (A) connected to the connection destination of FIG. 5 . FIG. 8 is a table showing an example of the condition definition table 13 stored in the wireless communication device 1 (B) not connected to the connection destination of FIG. 5 .

Consider a case where, in the situation shown in FIG. 5 , the series of processing shown in FIG. 6 is executed by the connection determination unit 15 of the wireless communication device 1 (A) as the wireless communication device 1 (A) starts up.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 5 , in the wireless communication device 1 (A), since the WAN interface is connected to the upper network, the WAN interface performs link connection. Therefore, since the "state" of the condition 1 in the condition definition table 13 matches the link state checked by the connection determination unit 15, the "result" of the condition 1 is "established".

Also, in the wireless communication device 1(A), since the LAN interface and the device are connected, when the connection determination unit 15 transmits a ping to the designated IP address, a response is returned to the ping. Therefore, the "result" of condition 2 is "established".

Furthermore, in the wireless communication apparatus 1(A), since the LAN interface is connected to the device, the LAN interface performs link connection. Therefore, the "state" of the condition 3 in the condition definition table 13 does not match the link state checked by the connection determination unit 15, and the "result" of the condition 3 is "not established".

In this way, when the connection determination unit 15 of the wireless communication device 1(A) executes the series of processing shown in FIG. 6 , the content of the condition definition table 13 is changed from the content shown in FIG. 3 to the content shown in FIG. 7 .

Next, consider a case where, in the situation shown in FIG. 5 , the series of processing shown in FIG. 6 is executed by the connection determination unit 15 of the wireless communication device 1 (B) as the wireless communication device 1 (B) is activated.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 5 , in the wireless communication device 1 (B), since the WAN interface and the upper network are not connected, the WAN interface performs link disconnection. Therefore, the "state" of the condition 1 in the condition definition table 13 does not match the link state checked by the connection determination unit 15, and thus the "result" of the condition 1 is "not established".

Also, in the wireless communication device 1 (B), since the LAN interface and the device are not connected, when the connection determination unit 15 transmits a ping to the designated IP address, no response is returned to the ping. Therefore, the "result" of condition 2 is "not true".

Furthermore, in the wireless communication apparatus 1(B), since the LAN interface and the device are not connected, the LAN interface performs a link disconnection. Therefore, the "state" of the condition 3 in the condition definition table 13 matches the link state checked by the connection determination unit 15, and thus the "result" of the condition 3 is "established".

In this way, when the connection determination unit 15 of the wireless communication device 1(B) executes the series of processing shown in FIG. 6 , the content of the condition definition table 13 is changed from the content shown in FIG. 3 to the content shown in FIG. 8 .

Next, the operation mode setting by the operation mode setting unit 16 after the connection determination by the connection determination unit 15 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 . 9 is a flowchart showing a series of operations for operation mode setting performed by the operation mode setting unit 16 of the wireless communication device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

In step S201, the operation mode setting unit 16 acquires the logic formula of the master mode from the operation mode determination table 14, and the process proceeds to step S202.

In step S202, the operation mode setting unit 16 refers to the condition definition table 13, and determines whether or not the logical expression acquired in step S201 is true.

When it is determined in step S202 that the logical expression is true, the process proceeds to step S203, and when it is determined that the logical expression is false, the process proceeds to step S204.

In step S203, the operation mode setting unit 16 sets the operation mode to "main machine mode", and the process ends.

In this way, the operation mode setting unit 16 sets the operation mode to the master mode when the "result" of the condition 1 or the "result" of the condition 2 in the condition definition table 13 is "established". Specifically, the operation mode setting unit 16 refers to the condition definition table 13 and the operation mode determination table 14, and sets the operation mode to the master mode when the logical expression corresponding to the master mode is true.

In step S204, the operation mode setting unit 16 acquires the logical expression of the repeater mode from the operation mode determination table 14, and the process proceeds to step S205.

In step S205, the operation mode setting unit 16 refers to the condition definition table 13, and determines whether or not the logical expression acquired in step S204 is true.

When it is determined in step S205 that the logical expression is true, the process proceeds to step S206, and when it is determined that the logical expression is false, the process proceeds to step S207.

In step S206, the operation mode setting unit 16 sets the operation mode to "relay mode", and the process ends.

In this way, the operation mode setting unit 16 sets the operation mode to the slave mode when the "result" of the condition 3 in the condition definition table 13 is "established". Specifically, the operation mode setting unit 16 refers to the condition definition table 13 and the operation mode determination table 14, and sets the operation mode to the repeater mode when the logical expression corresponding to the repeater mode is true.

In step S207, the operation mode setting unit 16 sets the operation mode to "mode not set", and the process ends.

Here, as a specific example, consider a case where, in the situation shown in FIG. 5, a series of processes shown in FIG. 6 are executed, whereby the wireless communication device 1 (A) obtains the condition definition table 13 shown in FIG. The communication device 1(B) obtains the condition definition table 13 shown in FIG. 8 . In addition, the operation mode determination table 14 of each of the wireless communication device 1 (A) and the wireless communication device 1 (B) is a table shown in FIG. 4 .

In this case, in step S201, the operation mode setting unit 16 of the wireless communication device 1(A) acquires "1 or 2" from the operation mode determination table 14 as a logical expression corresponding to the master mode.

As shown in FIG. 7 , in the condition definition table 13, the "result" of condition 1, the "result" of condition 2, and the "result" of condition 3 are "established", "established" and "not established", respectively. Therefore, in step S202, the operation mode setting unit 16 refers to the condition definition table 13, determines that the "result" of the condition 1 or the "result" of the condition 2 is "established", and determines that the acquired logical expression is true.

As a result, the operation mode setting unit 16 sets the operation mode to the master machine mode. Therefore, in the situation shown in FIG. 5, manual setting by the installer is not required, and the operation mode of the wireless communication device 1(A) is automatically set to the master mode.

In the above case, the operation mode setting unit 16 of the wireless communication device 1(B) acquires "1 or 2" from the operation mode determination table 14 as a logical expression corresponding to the master mode in step S201.

As shown in FIG. 8 , in the condition definition table 13, the "result" of condition 1, the "result" of condition 2, and the "result" of condition 3 are "not established", "not established" and "established", respectively. Therefore, in step S202, the operation mode setting unit 16 refers to the condition definition table 13, determines that the "result" of the condition 1 or the "result" of the condition 2 is not "established", and determines that the acquired logical expression is false.

Next, in step S204, the operation mode setting unit 16 acquires "3" from the operation mode determination table 14 as a logical expression corresponding to the repeater mode. In this case, in step S205, the operation mode setting unit 16 refers to the condition definition table 13, determines that the "result" of the condition 3 is "established", and determines that the acquired logical expression is true.

As a result, the operation mode setting unit 16 sets the operation mode to the repeater mode. Therefore, in the situation shown in FIG. 5 , manual setting by the installer is not required, and the operation mode of the wireless communication device 1 (B) is automatically set to the repeater mode.

In this way, the operation mode setting unit 16 is configured to switch the operation mode between the master mode and the repeater mode according to the result of the connection determination by the connection determination unit 15 . Therefore, automatic setting of the operation mode according to the installation situation of the wireless communication device 1 can be performed.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the wireless communication device is configured to determine whether the interface unit for wired communication with the connection destination is connected to the connection destination, and to switch the operation mode to the master mode and the connection destination according to the determination result. Repeater mode.

Thereby, the operation mode can be appropriately and automatically set according to the installation situation of the wireless communication device. As a result, the load of the operation mode setting work of the installation operator of the wireless communication device can be reduced, and the setting error of the operation mode of the installation operator can be suppressed.

In addition, in Embodiment 1, as a specific structure for determining whether or not the interface unit and the connection destination are connected, the following structure is exemplified. That is, the wireless communication apparatus is configured to check the connection state between the target interface included in the interface unit and the connection destination in connection determination, thereby determining whether the interface unit and the connection destination are connected.

In addition, in Embodiment 1, as another specific structure for determining whether or not the interface unit and the connection destination are connected, the following structure is exemplified. That is, the wireless communication apparatus is configured to store a condition definition table that defines the object interface included in the interface unit and the object interface and the connection state of the connection destination in association with each other for each condition. Furthermore, the wireless communication device is configured to check the connection state between the target interface and the connection destination for each condition in the condition definition table, and thereby determine whether all the conditions are satisfied or not.

Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the following configuration is exemplified as a specific configuration for setting the operation mode switching between the master mode and the relay mode when the condition definition table is used. That is, the wireless communication apparatus is configured to further store an operation mode determination table which defines an operation mode by associating with a logical expression that defines a condition that needs to be satisfied in the condition definition table. Furthermore, it is configured to refer to the condition definition table and the operation mode determination table, and set the operation mode to the master mode when the logical expression corresponding to the master mode is true, and set the operation mode to the master mode, and set the logical expression corresponding to the relay mode to be true In this case, set the operation mode to repeater mode.

Label description

1: wireless communication device; 2: slave; 11: wireless communication unit; 12: wired communication unit; 13: condition definition table; 14: operation mode determination table; 15: connection determination unit; 16: operation mode setting unit.

Claims (5)

1. A wireless communication apparatus, the wireless communication apparatus having:

a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a connection destination;

a wired communication unit that performs wired communication with a connection destination via the interface unit;

a connection determination unit that performs connection determination for determining whether or not the interface unit of the wired communication unit and the connection destination are connected; and

an operation mode setting unit that switches an operation mode between a master mode and a relay mode according to a result of the connection determination by the connection determination unit,

the operation mode setting unit sets the operation mode to the master mode when it is determined that the interface unit and the connection destination are connected in the connection determination,

when it is determined in the connection determination that the interface unit and the connection destination are not connected, the operation mode setting unit sets the operation mode to the relay device mode.

2. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 1,

the connection determination unit determines whether or not the interface unit and the connection destination are connected by examining a connection state between the target interface and the connection destination included in the interface unit in the connection determination.

3. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 2,

the wireless communication apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores a condition definition table defining the object interface and the connection state in association with each other for each condition,

the connection determination unit determines whether all of the conditions are satisfied or not by examining the connection state for each of the conditions in the condition definition table in the connection determination.

4. The wireless communication apparatus of claim 3,

the storage unit further stores an operation pattern determination table defining the operation pattern in association with a logical expression defining the condition that needs to be satisfied in the condition definition table,

the operation mode setting unit refers to the condition definition table and the operation mode determination table, and sets the operation mode to the master mode when the logical expression corresponding to the master mode is true, and sets the operation mode to the relay mode when the logical expression corresponding to the relay mode is true.

5. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the interface unit includes L at least one of AN AN interface and a WAN interface.

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