JP2008072577A - Station device and wireless lan communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve convenience for a user in a station device where a plurality of simple setting systems are supported. <P>SOLUTION: The station device includes a trigger for selecting the simple setting systems which are designated by a prescribed kinds of information elements in information received from an access point device. When the user operates the trigger, the station device receives the information transmitted from the access point device, connects to the access point device having transmitted the received information, selects the simple setting system designated by the prescribed kinds of information elements in the received information among the plurality of simple setting systems supported by the station device, and then, sets the information for communication with a wireless LAN through the use of the selected simple setting system. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information setting technique for communication in a wireless LAN.

  As one type of wireless LAN communication, an infrastructure type in which a station device communicates via an access point device is known. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses an information setting technique in this infrastructure type wireless LAN (Local Area Network). According to Non-Patent Document 1, conventionally, troublesome settings such as selection of a security level and input of an encryption key were necessary, but such troublesomeness is solved by the information setting technique. Specifically, information setting for wireless LAN communication is performed only by the user pressing a specific button. Hereinafter, in the present specification, performing information setting for communication via a wireless LAN by a simple operation without the user performing various settings one by one is referred to as “simple setting”.

http://buffalo.jp/aoss/setup.html

  It is conceivable that the station apparatus supports a plurality of simple setting methods. For example, according to “Simple Config”, which is a simple setting standard for wireless LAN communication according to WiFi, there are two types of simple setting methods, a push button method and a software method, and these two types of simple setting methods are one station device. (Each method will be described later).

  However, there may be a simple setting method that is not supported by the access point device among a plurality of simple setting methods supported by the station device. In addition, any simple setting method may not be supported by the access point device. In these cases, even if an attempt is made to execute a simple setting method that is not supported by the access point device in the station device, the information setting will fail. For this reason, the user of the station device can check whether the simple setting method is supported by the access point device and what simple setting method is supported if it is supported before executing the simple setting method. Need to check. In addition, the user must select and execute the simple setting method that has been confirmed to be supported by the access point device from among a plurality of simple setting methods. These operations are troublesome for the user.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve the convenience of a user of a station apparatus that supports a plurality of simple setting methods.

  The station device includes a trigger for selecting a simple setting method specified by a predetermined type of information element in the information received from the access point device. When this trigger is operated by the user, the station device receives information transmitted from the access point device, connects to the access point device from which the received information is transmitted, and supports a plurality of information supported by this station device. From the simple setting method, the simple setting method specified by the predetermined type of information element in the received information is selected, and information setting for communication in the wireless LAN is performed by the selected simple setting method. . As the station device, various devices such as a personal computer, a printer, or a digital camera can be employed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the convenience of the user of the station apparatus in which a some simple setting system is supported can be improved. Specifically, the user must confirm the simple setting method supported by the access point device, and the user must select and execute the simple setting method confirmed from the plurality of simple setting methods. Can be eliminated.

  FIG. 1A shows a wireless LAN communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  This wireless LAN communication system is an infrastructure type system. Specifically, a station apparatus (hereinafter referred to as STA) 101 is connected to an access point apparatus (hereinafter referred to as AP) 201, and via the AP 201, Communicate with the desired device. Specifically, for example, the AP 201 periodically transmits a predetermined signal, the STA 101 transmits inquiry information, the AP 201 transmits response information in response to the inquiry information, and the STA 101 receives Connected to the AP 201 that is the transmission source of the response information. When the STA 101 is in the communication area of each of the plurality of APs 201 (for example, when a plurality of response information is received from each of the plurality of APs 201), the STA 101 selects one AP 201 from the plurality of APs 201. Connecting.

  As this wireless LAN communication system, for example, a wireless LAN communication system according to WiFi can be used. Therefore, the signal periodically transmitted from the AP 201 is a beacon, the inquiry information transmitted from the STA 101 is a probe request, and the response information transmitted from the AP 101 is a probe response.

  A wireless LAN communication system according to WiFi supports a simple setting technology called “Simple Config”. Simple Config has two types of simple setting methods, a push button method and a software method.

  The push button method is a method in which the AP and the STA recognize each other and send and receive settings by pressing a predetermined physical button. Hereinafter, this method will be referred to as “PBC” by abbreviating Push Button Configuration.

  On the other hand, the software system is a system in which settings are transmitted and received between the AP and the STA by software operation, not by physical button operation. When set by software, a unique number called PIN (personal identification number) is used to authenticate the STA. When the PIN input to the AP matches the PIN of the STA, the AP transmits setting information to the STA. Hereinafter, this method is called “PIN” because PIN is used.

  In the following description, in order to make it easier to understand the features of this embodiment, it is assumed that the STA 101 supports two types of simple setting methods, PBC and PIN, and the AP 201 has one of PBC and PIN. On the other hand, for example, only PIN is supported.

  FIG. 1B shows a configuration example of each of the STA and the AP.

  The STA 101 and AP 201 are equipped with controllers 113 and 213 for wireless LAN communication, respectively. In order to avoid confusion, the controller 113 mounted on the STA 101 is referred to as “STA wireless LANC 113”, and the controller 213 mounted on the AP 201 is referred to as “AP wireless LANC 213”.

  The STA wireless LANC 113 includes a transmission / reception unit 117 for wireless LAN communication and a setting control unit 115 for setting information for the communication. The setting control unit 115 is a module for setting information by an easy setting method, and can set information by either PBC or PIN.

  The STA 101 is equipped with a trigger 111 for selectively executing one of these PBC and PIN. For this reason, the trigger 111 is not prepared separately for the PBC and the PIN, and only one trigger 111 may be used. In this embodiment, the trigger 111 is a physical button, but instead, it may be another type of trigger, for example, an electronic trigger (for example, a button) displayed by predetermined software. When the trigger 111 is operated by the user, the setting control unit 115 detects it and performs a predetermined process.

  Specifically, as the predetermined process, the setting control unit 115 broadcasts a probe request including an IE (Information Element). Here, IE is an information element supported by WiFi Protected Setup. WiFi Protected Setup is a new standard for wireless LAN simple setup, which was formulated by WiFi Simple Config TG (Task Group). The IE includes one or more values respectively corresponding to one or more types of information items, and can be included in any of beacons, probe requests, and probe responses. The IE format (the type of information item included in the IE) differs depending on which is included.

  The AP wireless LANC 213 is also provided with a transmission / reception unit 217 for communication on the wireless LAN and a setting control unit 215 for setting information for the communication. The setting control unit 215 is a module for setting information by a simple setting method, and unlike the STA 101, the setting setting unit 215 can set information only by a PIN out of PBC and PIN.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the flow of processing performed in the wireless LAN communication system of FIG. 1A.

  The AP wireless LANC 213 transmits a beacon including IE periodically (for example, once every 100 msec) from the transmission / reception unit 217 (step S101).

  The STA wireless LANC 113 receives a beacon including IE by the transmission / reception unit 117. However, even if the reception of the beacon is detected, the probe request is not detected unless the trigger 111 is detected by the user (NO in S102). Is not sent.

  When the STA wireless LANC 113 detects that the trigger 111 is operated by the user (YES in S102), the STA wireless LANC 113 broadcasts a probe request including the IE from the transmission / reception unit 117 (S103).

  When the AP wireless LANC 213 receives a probe request including an IE, the AP wireless LANC 213 transmits a probe response including the IE to the STA 101 that has transmitted the probe request (S104). As one of various information items included in the IE, for example, there is an information item called Device Password ID. In the AP wireless LANC 213, the setting control unit 215 sets a value representing the simple setting method supported by the AP 201, specifically, a value representing the PIN, as the value of the Device Password ID. Instead of the Device Password ID, a value representing the simple setting method supported by the AP 201 may be set as the value of another type of information item.

  The STA wireless LANC 113 receives the probe response to the probe request transmitted in S103 by the transmission / reception unit 117 (S106), and checks whether IE is included in the probe response (S107). If not included (NO in S107), the connection is terminated without connecting to the AP that has transmitted the probe response. As a result, it is possible to prevent erroneous connection to a legacy type AP that does not support the new standard. Since there may be a plurality of APs, if NO in S107, the process may not be terminated immediately, but may wait for another probe response. When the included probe response is not received, the process may be terminated.

  If the STA wireless LANC 113 includes an IE in S107 (YES in S107), the STA wireless LANC 113 connects to the AP 201 that has transmitted the probe response including the IE (S108). If YES in S107, the system does not connect immediately, but waits for a certain period of time after transmitting a probe request. If a probe response including IEs is received from a plurality of APs during that time, RSSI (Receive Signal Strength Indication) may be detected and connected to the AP with the strongest RSSI.

  The STA wireless LANC 113 identifies the simple setting method specified by the value of the Device Password ID in the IE of the received probe response by the setting control unit 115, and among the PBC and PIN, In the embodiment, a PIN is selected (S109). Then, the STA wireless LANC 113 performs information setting by the setting control unit 115 with a PIN (that is, with the selected simple setting method) (S110). Note that if the IE in the probe response has a value representing each of a plurality of simple setting methods, and two or more of these simple setting methods are also supported by the STA 101 Alternatively, the STA wireless LANC 113 may select one simple setting method from among these two or more simple setting methods according to a predetermined rule. As the predetermined rule, for example, various rules such as selecting a simple setting method designated in advance or selecting at random may be adopted.

  As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, the trigger 111 for selectively executing either PBC or PIN is mounted on the STA 101. When the trigger 111 is operated by a user, the STA 101 receives a probe response from the AP 201 by transmitting a probe request. When the STA 101 receives the probe response, the STA 101 automatically selects (validates) the simple setting method specified by the IE of the probe response from the PBC and PIN supported by the STA 101, and Executes information setting with the selected simple setting method. This eliminates the inconvenience of the user confirming the simple setting method supported by the AP 201 and using the PBC and PIN properly according to the confirmation result.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this embodiment is only the illustration for description of this invention, and is not the meaning which limits the scope of the present invention only to this embodiment. The present invention can be implemented in various other modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the value of each information item included in the IE of the probe response may not be related to the presence or absence of the IE of the probe request. For this reason, the STA 101 does not have to include IE in the probe request to be transmitted. This eliminates the need for the STA 101 to include a function of including IE in the probe request.

FIG. 1A shows a configuration example of a wireless LAN communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B shows a configuration example of each of the STA and the AP. FIG. 2 shows an example of the flow of processing performed in the wireless LAN communication system of FIG. 1A.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Station apparatus (STA), 115 ... Setting control part, 111 ... Trigger, 201 ... Access point apparatus (AP)

Claims (4)

In a station device that connects to an access point device and sets information for communication over a wireless LAN,
A trigger for selecting a simple setting method specified by a predetermined type of information element in the information received from the access point device;
Receiving means for receiving information transmitted from the access point device when the trigger is operated by the user;
Connection means for connecting to the access point device of the source of the received information;
A simple setting method specified by the predetermined type of information element in the received information is selected from a plurality of simple setting methods supported by the station device, and the selected simple setting method is used in a wireless LAN. A station device comprising information setting means for setting information for communication. When the receiving means receives information including the predetermined type of information element from each of a plurality of access point devices,
The connection means connects to the access point device having the strongest received signal strength among the plurality of access point devices;
The station apparatus according to claim 1. The connection means determines whether or not the predetermined type of information element is included in the received information, and if not included, does not connect to the access point device that is the source of the information,
The station apparatus according to claim 1. In a system comprising an access point device and a station device that connects to the access point device and sets information for communication in a wireless LAN,
The access point device has transmission means for transmitting information including a predetermined type of information element designating a simple setting method supported by the access point device;
The station device is
A trigger for enabling a simple setting method specified by a predetermined type of information element in the information received from the access point device;
Receiving means for receiving information transmitted from the access point device when the trigger is operated by a user;
Connection means for connecting to the access point device of the source of the received information;
A simple setting method specified by the predetermined type of information element in the received information is selected from a plurality of simple setting methods supported by the station device, and the selected simple setting method is used in a wireless LAN. Information setting means for setting information for communication of
Wireless LAN communication system.

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