JP2005348224A - Radio communication method and radio communication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio communication method and radio communication apparatus for controlling a link monitoring function from a slave side bluetooth(R) module. <P>SOLUTION: When performing disconnection or the like of an unstable link, a user of a slave side bluetooth(R) module 14 sends a command requesting system information from an AP 15 to a protocol stack 13 of a master side bluetooth(R) module 11 via a protocol stack 16, receives redirected system information and analyzes information of whether a link monitoring function can be set or changed, contained in the received system information (101-105). If the link monitoring function can be set or changed as a result of the analysis, an AP 15 issues a command requesting a setting change of the link monitoring function to the AP 12 of the bluetooth(R) module 11 (106-108). The AP 12 analyzes the received request, performs processing similar to prior art between the protocol stacks 13 and 16 and reports the end of the setting change to the AP 15 (113-115). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication method and a wireless communication device, and in particular, when a wireless communication device such as a Bluetooth module performs communication by a master-slave method, controls the link from the device on the slave side. The present invention relates to a wireless communication method and a wireless communication device that make it possible.

  In general, a Bluetooth module includes an RF transceiver IC, a baseband IC, a protocol stack that is provided above the baseband IC and performs link monitoring, an application used by a user, and the like. When a plurality of Bluetooth modules as wireless communication devices are connected to each other for communication, one module becomes a master and the other plurality of modules become slaves (in the Bluetooth standard, A maximum of seven slave modules can be connected simultaneously).

  The link status monitoring function when communicating in the master / slave mode as described above is changed from the protocol stack of the own module only when the own module is the connected master device. This can change the settings for monitoring the link status. The setting for monitoring the link state can be set independently for each link even when communication with a plurality of slave devices is performed.

  FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram for explaining a link state monitoring method in the wireless communication method according to the prior art. In FIG. 2, 11 and 14 are Bluetooth modules which are wireless communication devices, 12 and 15 are applications (AP), and 13 and 16 are protocol stacks.

  The prior art shown in FIG. 2 shows that two Bluetooth modules as wireless communication devices perform wireless communication, and each of the Bluetooth modules 11 and 14 includes APs 12 and 15 and protocol stacks 13 and 16, respectively. In addition, the Bluetooth module 11 serves as a master side and the Bluetooth module 14 serves as a slave side to communicate with each other.

  Then, the Bluetooth module 11 as a wireless communication device on the master side monitors the state of the wireless communication link with the Bluetooth module that is the wireless communication device on the slave side at the start of communication or during communication. When performing the setting for changing or changing the setting, processing according to the sequence shown in FIG. 2 is executed. This will be described below.

(1) The AP 12 of the master Bluetooth module 11 requests the HCI Supervision Timeout from the protocol stack 13 of its own module to set or change the link monitoring function (sequence 201).

(2) The protocol stack 13 that has received the request for the HCI Supervision Timeout executes communication with the protocol stack 16 of the slave-side Bluetooth module 14, and the master Bluetooth module 11 on the master side and the Bluetooth module 14 on the slave side. The link monitoring function between and is set or changed (sequence 202).

(3) Thereafter, the protocol stack 13 of the master-side Bluetooth module 11 responds to the AP 12 by transmitting a Complete signal indicating that the link monitoring function has been set or changed (sequence 203).

  Thereafter, the state of the link between the two Bluetooth modules is monitored by the monitoring function set or changed by the above-described processing, and communication between the two Bluetooth modules is performed.

In addition, as a prior art regarding a Bluetooth module, the technique described in the nonpatent literature 1 etc. is known, for example.
Kazuhiro Miyazu “Bluetooth Guidebook” (Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, September 20, 2000, pp. 68-78)

  As described above, the monitoring function of the link status when communicating in the master / slave mode can be set and changed from the protocol stack of the Bluetooth module that is the master device of the connection, and the slave side Bluetooth module AP, that is, the user of the Bluetooth module on the slave side cannot be involved.

  For this reason, the above-described conventional technology, for example, allows the Bluetooth module on the slave side to be driven using an AC adapter and driven using a battery. Even when it is desired to immediately disconnect an unstable link in order to reduce power consumption, there is a problem that the link monitoring function of the Bluetooth module cannot be set from the slave side.

  In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to implement the link monitoring function and link disconnection function different from those described above in the module application, and it takes time and labor to implement and the problem of occupying system resources. Create a point.

  The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, minimize the mounting effort of the module's unique link monitoring function and link disconnection function, and link monitoring function from the Bluetooth module on the slave side It is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless communication method and a wireless communication device that can control the above.

  According to the present invention, the object is to provide a wireless communication method in which a plurality of wireless communication devices communicate with each other in a master / slave method, wherein the wireless communication device on the master side is connected to the wireless communication device on the slave side. Software for performing settings for monitoring the state of the wireless communication link, and the slave-side wireless communication device accesses the software of the master-side wireless communication device, whereby the state of the wireless communication link This is achieved by making a request to change the setting for monitoring the wireless communication device on the master side to change the setting for monitoring the state of the wireless communication link.

  The object is achieved in the above-described wireless communication method, wherein the wireless communication device is a Bluetooth module.

  Further, the object is to provide a wireless communication device in a wireless communication system in which a plurality of wireless communication devices communicate with each other in a master / slave system, and when the wireless communication device becomes the master side, Means for performing a setting for monitoring a state of a wireless communication link with a communication device, and the wireless communication device by accessing the means of the wireless communication device on the master side when the slave side is set. And means for making a request to change the setting for monitoring the link status.

  The object is achieved in the above-described wireless communication device, wherein the wireless communication device is a Bluetooth module.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to control the link monitoring function from the wireless communication device on the slave side while minimizing the effort of mounting the unique link monitoring function and the link disconnection function. it can.

  Embodiments of a wireless communication method and a wireless communication device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram for explaining a link state monitoring method in a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The reference numerals in FIG. 1 are the same as those in FIG. In addition, the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 shows that two Bluetooth modules as wireless communication devices perform wireless communication as in the case described with reference to FIG. Are configured to have APs 12 and 15 and protocol stacks 13 and 16, respectively, and the Bluetooth module 11 serves as a master side and the Bluetooth module 14 serves as a slave side to communicate with each other. .

  Then, the Bluetooth module 14 serving as the slave side wireless communication device monitors the state of the wireless communication link with the Bluetooth module 11 serving as the master side wireless communication device at the start of communication or during communication. When setting for changing the setting or changing the setting, the process implemented in the AP according to the present invention is executed according to the sequence shown in FIG. This will be described below.

(1) If the user of the slave Bluetooth module 14 wishes to disconnect the link that has become unstable due to reasons such as reducing the power consumption of the own device, the protocol stack 16 from the AP 15 of the own Bluetooth module 14 A command for requesting system information is issued (sequence 101).

(2) The protocol stack 16 sends a request command from the AP 15 to the protocol stack 13 of the Bluetooth module 11 on the master side, receives system information as a response returned from the protocol stack 13, and returns it to the AP 15. (Sequence 102-104).

(3) The AP 15 of the slave Bluetooth module 14 that has received the system information returned from the protocol stack 13 of the master Bluetooth module 11 sets or changes the link monitoring function included in the received system information. Information such as whether or not it is possible is analyzed, and if the link monitoring function cannot be set or changed, an error is displayed and output to the user, and the process is terminated (sequence 105).

(4) If the link monitoring function can be set or changed in the analysis of the sequence 105, the AP 15 of the slave-side Bluetooth module 14 issues a command requesting the protocol stack 16 to change the setting of the link monitoring function. (Sequence 106).

(5) The protocol stack 16 transmits a command for requesting the setting change of the link monitoring function from the AP 15 to the protocol stack 13 of the Bluetooth module 11 on the master side (sequence 107).

(6) The protocol stack 13 of the master Bluetooth module 11 that has received a command for requesting the link monitoring function setting change from the protocol stack 16 of the slave Bluetooth module 14 sends the received command to the AP 12 of the own Bluetooth module 11. (Sequence 108).

(7) The AP 12 analyzes the setting in the command for requesting the setting change of the link monitoring function received from the slave-side Bluetooth module 14, and if the setting cannot be changed or is inconvenient on the system, This information is transmitted as error information to the AP 15 of the slave Bluetooth module 14 via the own protocol stack 13 and the protocol stack 16 of the slave Bluetooth module 14. The AP 15 receives the error information, displays and outputs an error to the user, and ends the processing here (sequences 109 to 112).

(8) If it is possible to change the setting according to the request in the analysis of the sequence 109, the AP 12 of the master Bluetooth module 11 is the same as the sequence 201 to 203 described as the processing in the prior art with reference to FIG. The complete signal indicating that the setting or changing of the link monitoring function from the protocol stack 13 is completed is received (sequences 201 to 203).

(9) After that, the AP 12 of the master side Bluetooth module 11 confirms that the setting or change of the link monitoring function according to the request has been completed via its own protocol stack 13 and the protocol stack 16 of the slave side Bluetooth module 14. The data is transmitted to the AP 15 of the Bluetooth module 14 on the slave side (sequence 113 to 115).

  Thereafter, the state of the link between the two Bluetooth modules is monitored by the monitoring function set or changed by the above-described processing, and communication between the two Bluetooth modules is performed.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, it is possible to control the link monitoring function from the Bluetooth module on the slave side while minimizing the mounting effort of the module-specific link monitoring function and link disconnection function. it can.

It is a sequence diagram explaining the monitoring method of the link state in the radio | wireless communication method by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram explaining the monitoring method of the link state in the radio | wireless communication method by a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

11, 14 Bluetooth module 12, 15 Application (AP)
13, 16 Protocol stack

Claims (4)

  In a wireless communication method in which a plurality of wireless communication devices communicate in a master / slave manner, the wireless communication device on the master side monitors the state of the wireless communication link with the wireless communication device on the slave side The slave-side wireless communication device changes the setting for monitoring the state of the wireless communication link by accessing the software of the master-side wireless communication device. A wireless communication method comprising: making a request to change the setting for monitoring the state of the wireless communication link to the wireless communication device on the master side.   The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is a Bluetooth module.   In a wireless communication device in a wireless communication system in which a plurality of wireless communication devices communicate with each other in a master / slave system, the wireless communication device is connected to a wireless communication device on the slave side when the wireless communication device is on the master side. Means for setting for monitoring the state of the wireless communication link, and the state of the wireless communication link is monitored by accessing the means of the wireless communication device on the master side when it becomes the slave side And a means for making a request to change the setting for the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device according to claim 3, wherein the wireless communication device is a Bluetooth module.

Images